Congratulations, Hélène Peter, MSc!
Congratulations to Hélène Peter, who successfully defended her MSc thesis on Dec 15th, 2025.
Her thesis on “Measuring soil Enzyme Activity in situ…
Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research
Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science
About TER
The Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research | TER at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science | CeMESS aims to advance the fundamental understanding of how soil microorganisms and plants respond to and in turn shape their abiotic and biotic environment, and what consequences these interactions have for the functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems.
Researchers at TER address pressing environmental issues, such as the impact of climate change on ecosystem functioning and the role of soils in the global carbon cycle and in food security.
CeMESS/Maximilian Prag
News
Congratulations, Philipp Waschk, MSc!
TER
Congratulations to Philipp Waschk, who successfully defended his MSc thesis on Nov 14th, 2025.
His thesis on “Form and Function of Common…
Congratulations, Christos Papakoutis, MSc!
TER
Congratulations to Christos Papakoutis, who successfully defended his MSc thesis on Oct 29th, 2025.
His thesis on “Fungi and tree growth…
We are hiring: Full Professor of Soil Ecosystems and Global Change
TER
Soil ecosystems form the foundation of planetary health and play a critical role in climate feedback mechanisms. However, they are also vulnerable to…
FWF "Tausend Ideen" for Hannes Schmidt
TER
Hannes Schmidt, Senior Scientist at TER, received funding from the Austrian Science Fund’s 1000 Ideas program (“Tausend Ideen”). Congratulations,…
Congratulations, Paul Prinz, MSc!
TER
Congratulations to Paul Prinz, who successfully defended his MSc thesis on Wednesday April 9th, 2025.
His thesis on “Modelling the effect of…
Latest Publications at TER
Liu, M., Xu, X., Jin, P., Bruelheide, H., Kuzyakov, Y., Bardgett, R. D., & Wanek, W. (2026). Advancing predictive understanding of tree organic and inorganic nitrogen uptake across forest biomes. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 213, Article 110027. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.110027
Nottingham, A. T., Karhu, K., Salinas, N., Schnecker, J., Sietiö, O. M., Martin-Vivanco, A. K., Wanek, W., & Meir, P. (2026). Microbial death in the Andes: necromass declines despite growth and carbon-use-efficiency increases with decadal soil warming. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 213, Article 110002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.110002
Yao, R., Fu, H., Liu, X., Liu, F., Wanek, W., Liang, G., Chadwick, D. R., Jones, D. L., Wu, L., & Ma, Q. (2026). Meta-analysis of the accumulation and stabilisation of particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon by fertilization. Soil and Tillage Research, 255, Article 106770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2025.106770
Anthony, M., Röckel, N., Traistaru, A., Krishna, A., Meesenburg, H., Wagner, M., Jacob, F., Gessler, A., Waldner, P., Schaub, M., Ferretti, M., Schmitz, A., van den Bulk, P., Hensen, A., Hupperts, S. F., Bialic-Murphy, L., & Averill, C. (2025). Soil microbial community differences drive variation in Pinus sylvestris physiology, productivity, and responses to elevated CO2. Environmental Microbiome. https://doi.org/10.1186/
Hu, P., Zhang, W., Wanek, W., Chen, J., Abalos, D., Zhao, J., Xiao, D., Hou, X., Li, J., Chen, H., Xiao, J., Liao, X., Tang, T., Wu, H., & Wang, K. (2025). Calcium-rich parent materials enhance multiple soil functions and bacterial network complexity. Communications Earth and Environment, 6(1), Article 797. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02761-9
Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science
University of Vienna
CeMESS/Maximilian Prag